Car-brake



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. G. AJSM'ALL.

Car Brake.

No; 234,622. Patented Nov. 16,1880.

mlmlmnum INJENTW- lgeorge mall (No Model.) v2Shee-1ss-Sheet. 2.

G. A. SMALL. Car Brake.

' No. 234,622. Patented Noy. 16,1880.'

Unire rares ArnNr terrena GEORGE A. SMALL, OF JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 234,622, datedl November 16, 1880.

`Application filed October 12, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, GEORGE A. SMALL, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at J effersonville, in the county of Clarke and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Car Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invent-ion is to so arrange the brake-rod which rises from the floor or platform of a railway-car that when it is desired to have the brake-rod out of the way, in order to avoid, any injury thereto while loading or unloading the car, the brake-rod, with its hand-wheel, can be lowered so as to bring the wheel on a level with the car floor or platform, and hence in a position where it cannot be bent or broken during the handling of articles of freight-such, for instance, as lumber.

To this end my improvement consists, first, in a car-brake rod, which carries the handwheel, arranged to be raised so as to bring the hand-wheel within convenient reach of the brakeman, and to be lowered so as to bring the hand-wheel on a level with the car floor or platform second, in a vertically-movable carbrake rod arranged to be raised or lowered,for the purpose herein described, and a springcatch adapted to maintain the brake-rod in an elevated position 5 third, in the combination, with avertically-movable car-brake rod which carries the hand-wheel, of a socket through which the rod slides, arranged to be turned by the rotation of the rod, and provided with a ratchet-wheel, with which the locking-pawl engages; fourth, in the combination, with a vertically-movable car-brake rod which carries the liand-wheel, of a tubular holder applied to the car floor or platform, a rotary socket provided with the ratchet for a locking-pawl and arranged within the'tubular holder, and a pinand-groove connection between the brake-rod and the rotary socket, adapted to constitute a stop which limits the upward movement of the brake-rod; lifth, in the combination, with a vertically-movable car-brake rod which carries the hand-wheel, of a tubular holder applied to the car door or platform, a rotary socket through which the brake-rod slides, arranged within the tubular holder, and provided with a ratchet-wheel at its upper end above the top end of the tubular holder, and also provided (No model) with a shoulder or collar below the lower end of the said tubular holder sixth, in the combination, witha vertically-movable car-brake rod which carries the hand-wheel, of a rotary socket through which the brake-rod slides, an eye arranged upon the rotary socket below the holder in which it turns, and the brake-chain leading from said eye to the brake-lever; seventh, in the combination, with a verticallymovable car-brake rod which carries the handwheel, of a two-part tubular holder secured to the car iioor or platform, a rotary socket arranged within said tubular holder and adapted to be turned by the brake-rod, and a ratchetwheel upon the rotary socket; eighth, in the combination, with a vertically-movable and rotary ear-brake rod, of a rotary socket through which the brake-rod slides, a hand-wheel secured upon the brake -rod, and' an elastic bumperring applied to the brake-rod below the hand-wheel, all as hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a side elevation of a car Hoor or platform with my improved brake mechanism, the brake-rod being elevated 5 Fig.v 2, a section taken on avertical plan through the same. Fig. 3 is a section taken on a horizontal plane indicated by dotted lines a; fr. Fig. el is a top or plan view.

In the drawings, A refers to the ordinary floor or platform of a railway-car, and B to the brake-rod which rises from said floor or platform, and which is provided with the usual A hand-wheel, O, for the purpose of enabling the bra-keman to turn the rod, and thus tighten up or slacken the brake-chain connected with the brake-lever.

Instead of winding up the chain upon the brake-rod, as heretofore,I connect it with an eye, d, which is either formed with or secured to a rotary socket, D, adapted to be turned by the brake-rod, and in order to so connect the brake-rod will be slid through the socket; and at the same time, to be incapable of being rotated without causing a like rotation ofthe socket, I form both the said rod and also the bore ot' the socket rectangular in cross-section. The rotary socket through which the brakerod thus slides is provided athits upper end with a ratchet-wheel, D", and to the car lloor or platform is pivoted the usual locking-pawl,

IOO

E, arranged to be thrown into or out of engagement with the ratchet for the purpose of locking the brake after the chain has been wound upon the rotary socket-piece, or for admittin g of the free rotation thereof when it is desired to take off the brakes.

When the brake-rod is extended above the car floor or platform, so as to bring its handwheel within convenient reach of the brake man, it is supported in such elevated position by means of a spring-catch, F, which is secured to the rod in such manner that after the rod has been raised to the required extent the spring will catch upon the topface of the ratchet-wheel. Vhen, however, it is desirable'c to push down the brake-rod and handwheel, it will only be necessary to close the spring upon the rod in order to admit of the descent thereof through the ro tary socket, and to prevent the spring from presenting any obstruction to this movement of the brake-rod a recess is formed in the rod, so as to receive the spring when closed.

To determine the extent of the upward movement of the brake-rod, and hence prevent its being drawn out from the rotary socket, it is provided with a piu, G, which works in a groove, H, formed inthewsocket, the shoulder h at the upper extremity of such groove constituting a stop, against which the pin will strike after the rod has been elevated. The position of these parts may, however, be reversed-that is to say, the pin maybe formed upon the socket and the groove made in the brake-rod, although I prefer the arrangement herein shown.

The rotary socket-piece through which the brake-rod slides is supported within a two-part tubular holder, H, secured to the car-sill by means of stirrups I, or in any other suitable manner, and it will be seen Vthat the ratchetwheel of the rotary socket-piece rests upon the top end of the holder, and hence prevents the rotary socket piece from dropping` down through its holder.

To prevent the rotary socket-piece from being lifted out of the tubular holder when the brake-rod is raised the socket-piece is provided with a collar or shoulder, K, just below the lower end of the holder. rIhe socket-piece extends below the said holder, and upon such extension is provided with the eye d, previously referred to.

The car floor or platform is recessed, as at L, in order to receive such portion ofthe handwheel as extends over the floor or platform after the brake rod and wheel have been lowered, as shown in dotted lines, and thus provide means for keeping the wheel out of the way during the loading` or unloading of the car.

In allowing the brake-rod and hand-wheel to descend rapidlyit might happen that some damage would occur to the parts by reason of the shock sustained when the rod and wheel reach their lowest limit of descent, and to obviate this I apply to the brakerod, under the hand-wheel, an elastic bum per-rin g, M, which, when the rod and wheel have been allowed to drop, will strike upon the ratchet-wheel, and thereby take up the shock.

From the above description it will be readily understood that when the brake rod is elevated it is held up by the spring-catch, and the brakes applied by turning the brake-rod, which causes alike movement of the rotary socket, and hence a consequent winding of the brake-chain uponlthe rotary socket-piece, and that when it is desired to lower the brakerod and hand wheel the brakeman pushes in the spring-catch and allows the rodto slide down through the rotary socket.

In conclusion, I may remark that it will be obvious that, instead of securing the spring in a recess formed in the brake-rod, the spring might be secured to the rod without recessing the latter, and thc rotary socket formed with a groove or recess to receive the spring while the latter is pressed against the rod.

Heretofore the brake-rod has been adapted to be raised or lowered, so as to get it out ofthe way when desired, by hinging the rod; but the hin ged rod is liable to break, and the rod and handwheel which, it carries cannot be taken out of the way so readily as in the case of my vertically-slidable brake-rod. In a patent prior to my application a vertieallyslidable brakerod has been employed, but for adifferent purpose from mine. In such patent the brakeman slides the rod up or down to a certain extent in order to bring one of two dierentsized gear-wheels upon the rod into mesh with one of two differentsized gears upon arotary shaft to which the brake-chain is connected; but no provision is made in such patented device for lowering the brake-rod so as to bring the hand-wheel on a level with the car-platform, nor is such feature contemplated in said patent.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. The combination, with a car floor or platform, of a vertically-slidable brake-rod carrying the handwheel, and arranged to be raised up to within convenient reach of the brakeman, and to be pushed vertically down to an extent which will bring the hand-wheel on a level with the floor or platform, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the car ioor or platform provided with a recess adapted to receive the hand-wheel, of the vertically-slidable brake-rod which carries the hand-wheel, arranged to be raised so as to bring the handwheel to within convenient reach of the brakeman, and to be depressed so as to lower the hand-wheel into the recess in the floor or platform, and a spring-catch arranged to hold the rod in an elevated position, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a vertically-movable car-brake rod which carries the hand- IOO IIO

wheel, of the socket through which the rod slides, arranged to be turned by the rotation of the rod, and provided with a ratchet-wheel, with which the locking-pawl engages, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a vertically-movable car-brake rod which carries the hand-wheel, of a tubular holder applied to the car oor or platform, a rotary socket provided with the ratchet for a locking-pawl and arranged within the tubular holder, and a pinand-groove connection between brake rod and the rotary socket, adapted to constitute astop which liniits the upward movement ot' the brake-rod, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a vertically-movable car-brake rod which carries the handwheel, of a tubular holder applied to the car iioor or platform, a rotary socket through which the brake-rod slides, arranged within the tubular holder, and provided with a ratchet-wheel at its upper end, above the top end of the tubular holder, and also provided with a shoulder or collar below the lower end of the said tubular holder, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a vertically-movable car-brakc rod which carries the handwheel, of a rotary socket through which the lbrake-rod slides, an eye arranged upon the rotary socket below the holder on which it turns, and the brake-chain leading from said eye to the brakelever, substantially as described.

7 The combination, with a vertically-movable car-brake rod which carries the handwheel, of a two-part tubular holder secured to the car floor or platform, a rotary socket arranged within said tubular holder and adapted to be turned by the brake-rod, and a ratchetwheel upon the rotary socket, substantially as described.

S. The combination, with a vertically-movable and rotary car-brake rod, of a rotary socket through which the brake-rod slides, a hand-wheel secured upon the brake-rod, and an elastic bumper-ring applied to the brakerod below the hand-wheel, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE A. SMALL.

Witnesses:

JAMES KEIGWIN, GEORGE W. LEWMAN. 

